Just a (Step) Brother Sister Relationship
by dancingcupcake
Summary: What if the widowed Mrs. Jackson and lonely divorcee Mr. Chase got married? Where would that leave Percy and Annabeth? As step brother/sister, of course! Stay tuned as the pair battle their chemistry and attraction to each other in order to have a healthy (step) brother/sister relationship. AU, strictly non-demigod.
1. Prologue

**Summary: Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Chase get married, and Percy and Annabeth are now related as step-brother and sister. They have to battle their chemistry and attraction to each other and try to remain a well, brother/sister relationship. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, I'd never stop thanking the world. Oh, and screaming. :D **

**Pleaaaseee review! (: I love you guys. xoxo **

* * *

"Percy! The new neighbors are moving in!" Sally Jackson yelled at her son, asleep and still entangled in his blankets. He had drool on his pillow and was sleepily hugging his stuffed toy fish. Mrs. Jackson sighed and drew open his curtains, letting the winter sunlight stream into the room, piercing Percy's eyelids.

Percy groaned and covered his face with his pillow. "Mooommm! It's only eight in the morning! It's way to early to be awake!" He rolled over and was asleep and snoring again in ten seconds.

"Hey Percy?" called Sally Jackson, leaning out of the window, "I think our new neighbors have a daughter around your age!"

That got Percy out of bed. "Is she a brunette? Blonde? Red headed?"

Mrs. Jackson threw a pillow at him, laughing. "Get out of bed, you lazy pig, and go find out yourself. I'm bringing our new neighbors some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies."

Percy's eyes widened. "Mum! Not the blue ones! The blue ones are mine!"

Mrs. Jackson rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Percy. These are from a different batch. You can have your blue chocolate chip cookies all to yourself."

"Oh, forget it," sighed Percy. "Whoever she is, she can wait. Nothing's getting me out of bed this early on a Saturday morning - besides, it's way too cold."

"She may be hot, you know," called Mrs. Jackson, making her way down the stairs.

"Down in five!" yelled Percy in reply.

Mrs. Jackson grinned. Nothing ever got Percy's attention like a pretty new girl.

"Hello, it's so nice to meet you!" smiled Mrs. Jackson, shaking the hand offered to her by her new neighbor. Judging by his looks, he was probably in his late forties, with a few streaks of graying hair evident amongst the black, and crinkles of laugh lines around his eyes. "I'm Sally Jackson, your new neighbor, and that," she pointed, laughing at Percy's awkwardness, "Is my son, Percy."

"Frederick Chase," grinned the man, "And this is my daughter, Annabeth-" he gestured to his right, but noticed she had disappeared, "-who was just here a minute ago."

Both parents laughed in unison. Percy studied his mom, smiling. It had been a while since she had laughed so care freely.

"Annabeth!" called Mr. Chase into the house. "Come out, honey. We have guests!"

"Coming, dad," laughed a girl as she emerged from the house, clutching a well-worn book in her hands. She obviously hadn't prepared well for the cold, only wearing a thin jacket with a scarf wrapped around her throat. She was pretty, with natural-looking tanned skin that can only be from the real thing, not the fake tan that can be purchased and sprayed on. Her startling gray eyes sparkled with intelligence as she smiled at her new neighbors, shaking her long, blonde hair loose from her jacket.

"California?" Mrs. Jackson asked, curiously.

"Not bad!" laughed Mr. Chase. "How could you tell?"

"Well," smiled Mrs. Jackson, "Annabeth is rather tanned, and you two don't seem to have packed a lot of winter clothing."

"Well, come in then," Mr. Chase smiled. "You two must be freezing out there. We can have hot chocolate with marshmallows, and maybe you two locals can give us a few hints on where we can purchase some warmer winter jackets."

"Oh, boy," murmured the blonde girl, Annabeth to Percy. "Dad's going to go on and on about his old job as a professor now."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"He taught History."

"I take that back. Does your house have a back door?"

Annabeth grinned. "I think we're going to be good friends, Percy Jackson."

* * *

**Awww. The starting to a beautiful relationship. (: **

**If you enjoyed that and want more as well as faster updates, you know what to do! :D **


	2. Getting To Know You

**I'd like to thank: **

**PJOOF16, thetigerlilly, and PercabethROCKS for reviewing, **  
**ThreeBulletsAtTheDangerParad e and 1lyndon for adding my story to their favorites list, **  
**PJOOF16 and ThreeBulletsAtTheDangerParad e once again for following my story! (: **

**Thank you guys so, so much! (: ALL of you made my day. *sends lots of virtual hugs***

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. However, I do have fantastic reviewers! (: Remember, people, reviews = happy me, and happy me = someone who updates her story quickly! :D **

* * *

_A year later…_

Mrs. Jackson sighed in exasperation as a glance at the hall clock proved that Percy was yet again late for school.

"Percy! You're going to be late on the first day back of your senior year! Didn't you promise to drop by the Chases' to pick up Annabeth on your way to school?"

"Muuummm!" Percy groaned. "Just give me five more minutes of snooze time – wait, did you say Annabeth? I'll be down in a few!"

Mrs. Jackson smiled to herself. Really, nothing got Percy down in the morning like a mention of Annabeth's name.

Percy rushed into the kitchen like a human whirlwind, wishing his mother good morning and grabbing his breakfast – a few slices of toast – before grabbing his backpack and leaving the house.

"Three minutes!" exhaled Mrs. Jackson. "It's a new record! I wish Percy had met Annabeth sooner – if I'd known that she would be the secret to Percy never being late to school again, I'd have begged Frederick to move in sooner!"

* * *

Percy self-consciously ran his hand through his hair and nervously drummed his fingers against his backpack as he rang the Chases' doorbell. Mr. Chase opened the door, grinning widely at Percy's disheveled appearance. Percy suspected that the man had known about his crush on Annabeth since the day they had met, and though he never said anything to actually imply that, Percy occasionally caught Mr. Chase with a twinkle in his eye whenever he so much as glanced at Annabeth. Scratch that, stared at Annabeth. 'With drool practically dripping from the side of your mouth,' as Mrs. Jackson had once said, laughing.

"Annabeth!" called Mr. Chase into the house. "Percy's here to pick you up! Hurry up, dear, it's your first day of school, and you don't want to make Percy late!"

A few seconds later, Percy found his eyes going wide and his mouth practically dropping open as Annabeth descended gracefully from the elaborate stairwell. She was wearing a white dress with tiny flowers embroidered on it that complimented her tan skin, as well as making her unusual grey eyes stand out. He hurriedly closed his mouth when a side-glance at Mr. Chase showed that he was chuckling to himself.

Pulling himself together with some effort, – hey, it's not every day you see your best friend dressed like that – Percy smiled at Annabeth, curiously asking, "What's up with the outfit? You could have given me a heads-up, you know. Then we could've gone in matching outfits!"

"I just wanted to make a good first impression," answered Annabeth. "Besides," she continued, grabbing her bag on her way out, "I doubt you own a white shirt embroidered with flowers."

Percy shrugged. "You never know. It's probably my heart's true desire to own a shirt like that."

Annabeth laughed. "Then maybe you heart can persuade you to actually pay attention in all your classes today. It's your senior year, Percy! You should at least make an effort."

Percy snorted. "Annabeth, I happen to have both ADHD and dyslexia, remember? Combined, it's almost impossible for me to sit still, let alone listen to some boring old lecture."

"So do I," Annabeth protested. "And honestly, my dyslexia makes it a nightmare to get through all those Architecture books my mum sent me."

"I thought your parents were divorced?"

"They are, but mum tries to visit every once in a while and sometimes sends me books."

"Like mother, like daughter," observed Percy. "What's your mum's name?"

"Athena," answered Annabeth.

"Like the Greek goddess of wisdom?"

Annabeth sighed. "She's lots more than that, Percy. She's also the goddess of courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, arts, crafts, and skill."

"Like I said," smiled Percy. "Goddess of wisdom."

* * *

**Awww. And the sweetness just keeps on coming. **

**Review! :D **

**Review! :D**

**Review! ;D**

**Review! :D**

**Okay I think you get my point. **

**Review! :D **


	3. Not Dead, Just Lost At Sea

**A big thanks to PJOOF16, who reviewed not once, but twice! (: Also, I'd also like to say that the prologue and first chapter of this story was co-written with my (sometimes) fabulous beta and sister, Athenaspetowl. Check out her _very_ aww-inspiring, tear bringing, smile bringing, magical cupcake bringing story about Tratie today! (: **

**And no that was not an advertisement. Just saying. **

**To those who've read and (hopefully) enjoyed this story, please take a moment to review! (: All of your reviews absolutely make my day.**

**And now for the question that has kept me awake for eons!**

**Frank/Hazel, or Hazel/Leo? **

**Hmm. Good question. Tell me what you think in your reviews! (: **

**Summary: Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Chase get married, and Percy and Annabeth are now related as step-brother and sister. They have to battle their chemistry and attraction to each other and try to remain a well, brother/sister relationship.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. Because of this, my life will never, ever, ever be complete. ):**

* * *

"Ugh, these leaves will be the death of me!" complained Mr. Chase, raking the autumn leaves as they fell from the tree in his front yard.

"Introducing… the all new leaf blower, used only by the lazy!" laughed Mrs. Jackson as she blew all the leaves in her front yard into a neat pile. She secretly admired Mr. Chase for managing to keep his house spick and span, even without having that much help from Annabeth, with her being busy now that she's in her senior year.

Newly divorced with a teenage daughter are words that do not occur to you when looking at Mr. Chase. Always sunny, enthusiastic and hardly ever seen without a smile on his face, Mr. Chase is hardly someone you'd expect to be recently divorced. 'The only thing bad about the man,' Percy had complained to Mrs. Jackson one day, 'Is that those history lectures of his just go on and on and on!'

Moving to New York and becoming the Jacksons' new neighbor had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, Mr. Chase had explained to Mrs. Jackson. 'My ex wife, Athena, was already a famous architect when I married her,' he'd said. 'But as the years went on, the projects she was sent took up more and more of her time, usually sending her across the globe at months at a time. She'd felt that Annabeth and I would have a better life without her holding us back, so she'd arranged for divorce documents to be prepared and signed a year ago.' Newly divorced with a world to explore, Mr. Chase had decided that Annabeth's best choice at the moment would be at Goode High School, moving them to New York the following month.

I guess we have something in common, then, thought Mrs. Jackson. He'd been recently divorced when he moved in, and I was a recent widow and Percy and I did.

Depressing.

Poseidon, Mrs. Jackson's ex husband was always on her mind. The pair had met at a beach house and it had been love at first sight. She sighed dreamily, remembering his beautiful sea green eyes and messy black hair, the features that had been inherited by Percy and was now her only remembrance of him.

Poseidon had been involved in a horrible accident at sea and had never been heard from since. Throughout the years, Mrs. Jackson had never lost hope or faith, insisting that Poseidon was only lost at sea, and wasn't dead.

"Sally! Sally Jackson! Helloooo?" She was snapped back to reality by Mr. Chase's laughing voice and flushed, embarrassed that she had been caught daydreaming.

"What? I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" she murmured, shaking her head quickly to get rid of Poseidon's image.

"Daydreaming again, huh?" teased Mr. Chase. "Now, I wonder who the lucky guy was," he winked.

That caught her off guard. "Just… It's just someone I lost," she replied vaguely. "It's not important." She turned her back on him and absently began picking up the leaves that she had missed before.

"Hey, I'm really sorry," Frederick offered. "I didn't mean to upset you. Do you want to talk about it? I think it's my turn to invite you over for some tea, anyway."

Sally Jackson considered his offer for a while. She smiled and shrugged, replying, "Sure."

* * *

Percy and Annabeth walked into Goode High School in a comfortable silence that only comes when you know the other person as well as you know yourself, each thinking their own thoughts. Just then, the last bell signaling for first period rang, bringing with it a rush of frantic latecomers as they hurried to class.

"See you at lunch, then?" asked Percy. They hardly had any of their subjects together, except gym and art, seeing as Annabeth had signed up for advanced, well, everything, and Percy had opted to remain in all his normal classes.

"Sure!" grinned Annabeth. "I'm sooo excited for advanced Math later! Did you know that I heard it even reduced a few seniors to tears last year? Imagine that! It might actually pose a challenge to me, but I do hope we get a half decent teacher this year instead of that awful-"

"Annabeth," said Percy patiently, "Are you going to spend your entire senior year talking about how fun the subjects are going to be, or are you going to get to class and actually learn them?"

Annabeth's eyes widened, cutting off her rant mid-speech. "We're going to be late!" she shrieked. "On the first day of class! Percy, couldn't you have warned me?" she demanded, and without waiting for an answer, hurriedly rushed past him to her first period class, Advanced Biology.

Percy shook his head and watched in amusement as she swerved and bumped into students in her rush to class, apologizing the whole way.

"Senior year," he observed to no one in particular, "And Annabeth is still behaving like it's the first day of high school."

* * *

**Well, was it horrible, terrible, or d****readful? Appalling? Horrifying? Horrific? Horrendous? Ghastly? Gruesome? Gory? Harrowing? Heinous? Vile? Unspeakable? Nightmarish? Macabre? Spine-chilling? Blood-curdling? Loathsome? Monstrous? Abhorrent? Hateful? Hellish? Execrable? Abominable? Atrocious? Sickening? Foul?**

**Or was it marvelous, magnificent, superb, glorious, or sublime? Lovely? Delightful? Super? Great? Fantastic? Terrific? Tremendous? Sensational? Incredible? Fabulous? Magic? Wicked? Brilliant? Peachy? Dandy? (who uses that, anyway?) Neat? Swell? **

**If you're wondering, yes, I did get all those words from a thesaurus. My vocabulary is not that great. (; **

**Review and pots of mystical gold, unicorns and fairies, magical rainbows and wishes will all be at your command! (: **

**Don't I wish I actually had those things, though. **


	4. Trust

***Cues guilty look* So I know I told a few of you guys I'd have this chapter up yesterday, but I was about 1/4 though with it when my family received news that my grandmother had passed away, so we basically rushed around the house, each packing up our things, so as a result, this update is now a day late. I'm really sorry, and I've now learned that I can't promise when I'll have the next chapter up, so from now on, I'll just say that I will update 'as soon as possible'. :D**

**********A big thank you to thetigerlilly and PJOOF16, who each reviewed a total of three times! :D You guys are amazing. Also, I'd like to thank all the other reviewers who've reviewed this story since it has been up. You guys are the reason this story's still being continued. **

**********Question(s) of the day ( or chapter?):**

**********1. Should Rachel be featured in this fanfic? Or would that make this story too mainstream-ish? Tell me what you guys think! (: **

**********2. I have a new-found love for Thalia/Luke, though I have read a few adorable Thalia/Nico stories. Which is better? :D **

******Summary: Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Chase get married, and Percy and Annabeth are now related as step-brother and sister. They have to battle their chemistry and attraction to each other and try to remain a well, brother/sister relationship.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, the books wouldn't have ANY traces of Rachel/Percy, and instead would be filled with Percabeth. :D Oh, and they would have kissed sooner, and then would have spent days going around avoiding each other. Aw. Possible one-shot in the future. (; **

* * *

Percy daydreamed his way through the rest of his morning classes, and as a result only caught bits and pieces of the lectures given by his teachers that morning, though it was enough to make quite an entertaining summary of the day's classes and the lessons that had been taught.

1st Period: Algebra

Teacher: Mr. Drools

Summary of the day's lesson: Mr. Dull (what a name for a high school teacher!) lived up to his name and made most of the students in his class fall asleep after the first five minutes of class.

2nd Period: Literature

Teacher: Mrs. Dodds

Summary of the day's lesson: Mrs. Dodds seems to believe that the world is full of monsters that will hunt you down if you cannot correctly interpret Shakespeare's works.

3rd Period: Culture and Mythology

Teacher: Mr. Brunner

Summary of the day's lesson: Whew. Finally a class with Annabeth. Mr. Brunner (totally the coolest teacher in the school in my opinion), split us into groups and had us explain the different personalities and duties a God or Goddess might have in his/her Roman form, compared to his/her Greek form.

Note: The only class I actually stayed awake in.

4th Period: History

Teacher: Mrs. Williams

Summary of the day's lesson: Didn't stay awake long enough to find out.

5th Period: LUNCHHHH!

* * *

After having a couple cups of tea in Mr. Chase's presence, Mrs. Jackson felt herself relax and her smile reached her eyes for the first time in days. Mr. Chase seemed to have that effect on her; he was like a ray of sunshine, bright and cheerful, bringing joy to who ever he encountered. Somehow, being in his presence always did wonders to her mood.

The pair chatted amicably for an hour or so about nothing in particular, until Mr. Chase asked the question Mrs. Jackson had been hoping to avoid.

"So," he said gently, "Who was it, really, that you were dreaming about?"

Mrs. Jackson paused with a cookie halfway to her lips. She was torn with the question; a part of her wanted to answer truthfully, to say the words that hadn't ever been said aloud, to say, for once, what was really on her mind. A bigger part of her wanted to lie and make up a plausible reason, explain that she had only been worrying about Percy or his grades.

Seeing her hesitation, Mr. Chase shook his head quickly, saying, "You know, it's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

And that, more than anything, was what made her open up, because no one had ever offered to just listen to what she had been worrying about. Everyone else had asked if she was all right as if the question was more out of politeness than actual care, and she had had no qualms lying about her feelings then. But this was different. Mr. Chase seemed to genuinely care about her feelings.

"You know," she started, smiling a little, "You really should be honored. You're going to be the first I've opened up to in a long time."

* * *

The lunch bell rang, and a stampede of students promptly pushed past each other to get to the cafeteria.

With all the rush, thought Percy, you'd think that the cafeteria was actually serving edible food.

In no rush to get to the cafeteria, he first dumped his History books in his locker before heading in the direction of the cafeteria, keeping an eye out for Annabeth on his way. Percy spotted a blonde head bent over a book as the person absently tried to combine reading with finding her way to the cafeteria without bumping into anyone. That's definitely Annabeth, he thought, amused.

"Annabeth!" Percy called out, smiling and making his way over to her.

"Huh? Who called me- oh, hey, Percy," answered Annabeth, slotting a bookmark into the page she'd stopped at. "I'm getting some forward reading in for our Culture and Mythology class," she explained.

"Mr. Brunner didn't give us anything to read up on," pointed out Percy.

Annabeth shrugged. "You'd never know. Knowing how the Minotaur was killed in the Greek myths could come in handy one day."

Percy snorted. "You sound like Mrs. Dodds," he said. "She thinks that the world is full of monsters that will hunt you down if you can't interpret all of Shakespeare's works."

"What, that crazy old lady?" laughed Annabeth. "Well, I'm glad I'm not in her class this year. She sounds like a nutcase!"

Percy shook his head. "You have no idea."

* * *

**Did anyone spy the (very very obvious) references made to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief made in this chapter? (: Mr. Brunner (Chiron) and Mrs. Dodds (the fury) - the people that, along with Percy, Annabeth and Grover, are what made that book so epic. (:**

**People who review get strawberry pancakes! :D **


	5. Because Life Goes On

**Hi! (: yes, after a (very very very) long delay, I'm back with another chapter.**

**Lots of thanks to all those brilliant people who've started following this story since it's last update; I would name you all by person, but unfortunately, I've kind of lost track of whose been following this story since which chapter etc. *looks sheepish* Sorry!**

**Lots of hugs and thanks to: PJOOF16 and thetigerlilly once again! (: you guys continue to be awesome.**

**Announcement: From now on, the questions I'd like to ask all of you will be at the end of each chapter, as well as the answers for some of the questions guest reviewers ask me. (: You see, my AN's are starting to get longer than the chapters themselves.**

******Summary: Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Chase get married, and Percy and Annabeth are now related as step-brother and sister. They have to battle their chemistry and attraction to each other and try to remain a well, brother/sister relationship.**

******Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. I only own an ability to conveniently disappear whenever my room needs cleaning :D It's a rare talent, I tell you.**

* * *

"Percy had been ten or eleven," started Mrs. Jackson, smiling wistfully. "Poseidon had owned a shipping company in charge of exporting most of the fresh fish from around the world directly to New York back then. Business had been starting to take off, but he had heard word from one of his contacts that one of his ships due hadn't arrived according to schedule, and so Poseidon had sailed off to investigate. 'I'll only be gone for at most a week, Sally,' he'd reassured me. Well, that part hadn't been true," Mrs. Jackson sighed. "He never came back."

"And," asked Mr. Chase, softly, "After all these years, you still believe he isn't dead?"

Mrs. Jackson winced at the question; after all, it was a good one, one she hadn't considered, not really, for a long time now. Sure, she insisted to everyone else that she believed Poseidon wasn't dead, just lost, but did she really believe that in her heart?

"Yes, I do," she answered firmly. "He promised, and if I know Poseidon, he'd never break a promise. Not ever."

"Don't you ever find yourself wondering if he'll ever come back?" asked Mr. Chase, wonderingly.

Mrs. Jackson looked up sharply. "What are you saying?"

"Oh, no," reassured Mr. Chase. "I'm not questioning your loyalty, Sally. If anything, it's one of the things I most admire about you. Besides, it seems that personal loyalty burns brightly in your family."

Mrs. Jackson smiled. "Percy gets that from his father."

"So it seems," replied Mr. Chase. "You know, the story of your relationship with Poseidon almost seems like its part of a romance novel. It's a pity, really," he murmured, almost to himself.

Mrs. Jackson cocked her head, puzzled. "What's a pity?"

"It seems we both have trouble with relationships. Maybe together we could have better luck."

Feeling a little flutter in her chest, Mrs. Jackson felt a smile grow on her face. "You know, I could take that offer into consideration."

* * *

"So," Annabeth started, plopping down on one of the many benches in the cafeteria, "Do you know her?"

"What? Know who?" asked Percy, taking a seat opposite her and sharing a fist bump with his best friend since fifth grade when Percy had saved him from a near drowning in the school's swimming pool, Grover. "Hey, man."

"Perce!" exclaimed Grover, somehow managing to alternate between enthusiastically shoveling food into his mouth and talking.

Annabeth rolled her eyes pointedly. "The one who's making eyes at you, Seaweed Brain."

Percy sighed. Ever since he'd told Annabeth a few months ago that his dad had owned a fishing company, resulting in her jumping up from her homework and exclaiming, 'Yes! Seaweed Brain! Gods, I've finally found the perfect name for you, Percy!', she had been relentlessly calling him that whenever he did something, well, dumb.

"Which one?"

"What, you mean they're _more_ of them?"

"Of course," cut in Grover, rolling his eyes at Annabeth. "And you're supposed to be smart. These girls have been making eyes at Perce ever since he became captain of the swim team."

"And you're okay with that?" she exclaimed.

Grover shrugged. "Juniper _is_ my girlfriend."

Annabeth smacked her forehead exasperatedly. "Gods, that's not what I meant."

Percy frowned, "Why are you so upset about them, anyway? You never used to care."

"Because- Oh, never mind. I give up! Boys are hopeless," fumed Annabeth, picking up her tray huffily and storming to the next table where she sat with her back to them, leaving Percy and Grover to stare at each other silently.

"You know," observed Grover, "She likes you."

"What?!" spluttered Percy, who had been halfway through draining his can of soda.

Grover sighed. "Never mind."

* * *

**Answering The suggester's (a guest reviewer) question, (I would have PM-ed you but you know, guest reviewer!), Yes, Percy and Annabeth are going to get together (in the end). This IS after all a Percabeth story. (:**

**Questions that I REALLY need answering: **

**1. Is it honestly possible to die of boredom? I mean, really. **

**2. IMPORTANT: What do you think: Shorter chapters (like now) with me updating fairly regulary, or looooonnngeeerrr chapters with slower updates? **

**3. Should Nico, Thalia and Luke be in this fanfic? **

**4. Can anyone figure out who the mentioned person who was? You know, the one who was checking Percy out? (; bonus points for this one! **


	6. Moving On

**A shout out to PJOOF16, thetigerlilly, and My daddy's name is Poseidon; all three who are incredible people and continue to inspire me (:**

**Thanks to anyone who's favorited/followed this fanfic.**

**Special thanks to Athenaspetowl, who is really the best sister ever, even if she does steal all my clothes and shoes. :D**

**Summary: Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Chase get married, and Percy and Annabeth are now related as step-brother and sister. They have to battle their chemistry and attraction to each other and try to remain a well, brother/sister relationship.**

**Disclaimer: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS PJO. BOOHOO. D: SANTA YOU'RE MEAN. OOPS I DIDN'T MEAN THAT! I STILL WANT PRESENTS!**

* * *

Mr. Chase smiled to himself as he snapped shut the lid of his briefcase; a few weeks after moving to New York, he had accepted a job to be a part-time history professor at the City College. Not only did the job pay remarkably well, he also enjoyed preparing his lectures, often making scale replicas of war zones to further understand the many historic battles he often lectured about in his classes. Mr. Chase got into his car and started the engine before staring as he recognized a familiar figure across the parking lot.

"Sally," he smiled, pulling over to where she was standing, frantically rummaging through her purse. "What a coincidence, huh?"

Mrs. Jackson absently lifted her head in the direction of his voice, smiling when she caught sight of Mr. Chase. "Frederick, hi," she called, sounding distracted.

"What are you looking for in there, Narnia?" chuckled Mr. Chase.

"Don't I wish. No, I'm looking for my car keys," answered Mrs. Jackson, going back to rummaging through her purse.

Mr. Chase tilted his head, watching her. "But if you can't find your keys, how did you drive here in the first place?"

Mrs. Jackson turned to face him properly for the first time, impatiently tucking her hair behind her ear as it fell into her eyes. "That's the thing. I obviously had them before to start the car, but I probably have misplaced or dropped them since. I can't find them anywhere!"

"I'm sure they'll turn up soon, probably when you no longer are looking for them," soothed Mr. Chase. "Meanwhile, why don't you catch a ride with me? And if you're going to start about the whole 'I don't want to be trouble' speech, don't bother. We're neighbors, we live next to each other; the way to your house is the same way to mine. Now stop standing there and get in the car already," he laughed.

Mrs. Jackson laughed, gathering her shopping bags obediently stepping into the car. "Thanks, Frederick. I owe you one."

Mr. Chase shrugged. "No, I think we're equal. You're the one with the never-ending supply of chocolate chip cookies that you've been providing Annabeth and I with ever since we've moved in. It's a wonder I can move at all," He smiled. "Now is probably the time when I'm supposed to ask you what you were doing in town, but by the shopping bags a decent guess would be grocery shopping."

Mrs. Jackson grinned. "See, you do live up to your job as a professor. You guessed right."

* * *

Percy wearily made his way into the swim team's locker room, before self-consciously coming to a stop when two pairs of eyes swung to look at him. "What?" he asked.

Travis, a member of the team who also happened to be one of Percy's closer friends, snorted. "Connor, I think I see why Annabeth calls him Seaweed Brain."

Travis's twin, Connor Stoll, replied, "Annabeth obviously has her head set on straight. Percy, aren't you forgetting something?"

Confused, Percy gave the most intelligent answer he could manage while drying himself: "Huh?"

Kevin, a guy standing at the far end of the locker room and who, by Percy's knowledge, was only on the swim team to get girls, snorted. "And to think this guy's our captain."

"This guy," answered Percy defensively, "Happens to be the best swimmer on the team, and also happens to be standing right here, you know. I didn't realize I was deaf."

"You're not," laughed Travis. "At least we don't think so. Not yet. Give it a few more years - then you'll be deaf and dumb."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Do you guys actually have a point, or did you just want to insult me?"

"It's just that we're expecting some sort of motivational speech from you, Perce," explained Connor, ignoring his twin. "I mean, haven't you watched High School Musical? Before an important event or competition, there's always some sort of motivating speech given by the captain, and if you haven't noticed, the swim meet happens tomorrow."

Percy stared at Connor. "High School Musical?"

"What idiot here means," said Travis, waving his hand dismissively at Connor, "Is that the team won't perform it's best unless the team captain, which-" he pointed at Percy, "happens to be _you_, gives us enough motivation to."

Percy snorted. "We've been through dozens of competitions and swim meets just fine without motivational speeches, Travis."

"See, that's the point," pointed out Travis. "We do just fine, but we never do brilliantly, because you've never fulfilled your responsibility as team captain to motivate us!"

Percy shook his head in silent wonder. "Why do I have a feeling that the only reason you're this insistent on a speech is because of some girl?"

Connor grinned. "Full marks, Perce. Travis's practicing his debating; he reckons he's going to need all the practice he can get if he's going to ask Katie out. I, however," he laughed, "Am just here for the ride. Oh, and for moral support when she says no and slaps him. Again."

"Tenth time's the charm," grinned Travis. "Besides," he called over his shoulder as he and Connor left the locker room, "What could go wrong?"

"Everything," Percy answered immediately, only to be met with silence with the locker room's door swinging shut in his face.

* * *

Changing quickly, Percy was headed to meet Annabeth at their usual spot when he was intercepted by the blonde beauty herself, who pounced on him, hugging him tightly.

"Guess what?" she demanded.

"Uh, I would, but you're kind of suffocating me."

Sheepishly stepping away, Annabeth shrugged. "Yeah, sorry about that. But honestly, Percy, guess!"

"You got an A in the first quiz of the year?" suggested Percy.

Annabeth beamed. "How did you know? Though," she mused, "_technically_, you're wrong. It was actually an A+."

Percy shrugged. "Lucky guess. Also, you've been getting As for every subject you've ever taken in this school."

Annabeth grinned. "None of them were ever a challenge. So," she asked, walking beside Percy as they walked through the hall on their way out, "What took you so long? You were ten minutes longer than usual."

"Travis and Connor got hold of me."

"Oh, no," grimaced Annabeth. "Did they try to prank you? You know," she suggested, "You could always push them into the pool in the future. It definitely would make them stop talking."

"It wasn't for a prank," reassured Percy. "Travis was just practicing his debating so he'd be able to come up with a good argument to provide Katie when he asks her out."

"Again?" asked the astonished Annabeth.

Percy shrugged. "Guess he really likes her."

"I wonder how that turned out," laughed Annabeth.

Percy grinned. "I'm guessing a little something like that."

Looking in the direction of Percy's pointed finger, Annabeth was horrified and a little amused when the figure of Travis Stoll with rapidly melting ice cream on his head greeted her.

"How bad was it?" she half-laughed, reaching Travis and rummaging through her bag to find the packet of tissues she kept inside it.

Travis grinned sloppily, reaching up to wipe ice cream away from his eye. "I think she's growing on me."

"Yeah, right," snorted Percy, grabbing a few tissues from the packet Annabeth had supplied and helping Travis mop ice cream from his back. "Where's Connor?"

Travis rolled his eyes. "Ran like a chicken the moment I walked up to Katie."

"I can't blame him," pointed out Annabeth. "Seeing Katie Gardner angry is not a pretty sight."

Travis huffed. "She wasn't that angry."

"Sure," smiled Percy knowingly. "She just displayed her attraction for you by dumping an ice cream on your head."

Annabeth stared at him. "Percy, that actually sounded smart."

"What? I can be smart!"

Travis smirked, managing to look amused at their bickering even with ice cream dripping down his face. "Sorry Perce, but Annabeth's right. 'Smart' is not a word I'd use to describe you."

Percy threw up his hands exasperatedly. "Why is everyone against me today?"

"We're not," consoled Travis. "You're just really easy to pick on."

'And," smirked Annabeth, "On that happy note, we really have to get home, Seaweed Brain. We're really late, our parents are probably worried by now."

"Oh, fish sticks," cursed Percy. "I totally lost track of time."

"Did you just curse on _fish sticks_?"

* * *

"So," suggested Mr. Chase as he dropped Mrs. Jackson off, "What do you say? Dinner tomorrow night?"

Caught off guard, Mrs. Jackson stared at him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Dinner, tomorrow night," repeated Mr. Chase. "Are you alright, Sally?"

Mrs. Jackson shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Oh, sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind."

Mr. Chase's brow furrowed in concern. "If you want, we can go out another time. It doesn't matter, you know."

Mrs. Jackson smiled softly at his concern. "No, really, I'm fine. Dinner sounds great. The only thing is…" she half-heartedly sighed.

Still looking concerned, Mr. Chase frowned. "The only thing is what?"

"What am I going to tell Percy?"

Mr. Chase shrugged. "The same thing I'm telling Annabeth – the truth. Don't worry," he smiled gently, noticing her concern, "I'm sure Percy will be fine with it."

Mrs. Jackson smiled, guilt gnawing at her heart, closing her eyes for a moment as images of Poseidon flashed in her mind. "I'm sure he will," she sighed.

* * *

**QUESTIONS I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU'D ANSWER:**

**1. Do you think that (so far), this fanfic has been predictable?**

**2. Did you know that the largest McDonald's restaurant is in China?**

**3. PLEASE TELL ME I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO IS DYING TO READ HOUSE OF HADES.**

**"We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again." -Percy Jackson**

**4. Can anyone link me to a good website where I can watch TV shows online for free? (: I'm just dying to catch the latest episodes of Vampire Diaries and NCIS: LA, two shows I'm CRAZY about.**

**5. Should I add in hints of Travis/Katie as a side story? (: Thoughts?**

* * *

**In the previous chapter, I'd asked you guys who the girl who had been eyeing Percy was. Most of you answered Rachel, and you're right! (: Give yourselves lots of virtual waffles. With syrup and ice cream, of course! **

**Review! (: If I get at least 50 reviews for this fanfic, I'll post an extra-long chapter (3000 words at least!) for chapter seven. Any takers? :D **


	7. He's Never Coming Back

**Hello! (: To everyone out there who's mad at me because of this horribly late update, _please_ _don't stab/kill me with your pitchforks/knives/forks/spoons! I can explain (I hope)!_ **

**Firstly: How do you stab someone with a spoon, anyway? :O No, seriously. I've heard of people who only eat with a spoon. A single spoon, people. How do you eat chicken with a spoon? I don't even understand how you eat chicken with a spoon alone, let alone how you _stab _someone with a spoon!  
**

**Secondly: I'm really sorry for this late update! I had been so busy lately with school that I had completely forgotten about updating this fanfic. And yes, that's the only excuse I have. If it hadn't been for thetigerlilly asking me when I was going to update this fanfic, this update would have been much, much later, so yay for her! :D **

**Announcement: All my announcements will now be made at the end of the fanfic, starting with this chapter!**

**A big thank you to all my reviewers and all those who followed/favorited this story. (: ILOVEYOUGUYS.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PJO my pen name wouldn't be 'dancingcupcake'. It would probably be something like 'HAHIOWNPJOYOUGUYSHAHAHA'. :D Could anyone even read that? :p**

**Summary: Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Chase get married, and Percy and Annabeth are now related as step-brother and sister. They have to battle their chemistry and attraction to each other and try to remain a well, brother/sister relationship.**

* * *

Days passed, with the tension in the Jackson house just about boiling over as Mrs. Jackson and Percy eagerly awaited the day of their dates – Mrs. Jackson's with Mr. Chase, and Percy's with Annabeth, though both teenagers claimed that the study date they had planned for the evening didn't actually count as an actual date.

The one thing that both occupants of the Jackson house were in mutual agreement was that the dates that Mrs. Jackson and Percy had that evening were not to be mentioned in front of each other; in fact, if possible, they weren't to be mentioned at all. The reason for this was that when Mrs. Jackson had told Percy about her date with Mr. Chase in a week's time, Percy had carefully placed his hands over his ears and told his mother that he couldn't hear anything she was saying. Mrs. Jackson had rolled her eyes and left the room, but somehow, an agreement had been made by both parties that day – Mrs. Jackson wouldn't mention her date if Percy wouldn't kick up a fuss about it. Since then, Percy had managed to bring 'not kicking up a fuss' to the next level – he was now insistent on ignoring the fact that his mother was even going on a date.

* * *

Mrs. Jackson studied her reflection, frowning.

She hadn't felt this self-conscious about her looks since meeting Poseidon – in fact, she hadn't bothered using makeup since Poseidon. Today had felt different in a good way. She had put on a dress, brushed her hair and slipped on a pair of earrings, and had been on her way out of the room when her eyes had fell upon a tiny chest on her dressing-table, pushed away into a corner, dusty and unforgotten. Memories of opening that chest - giddily applying light dustings of makeup for her early dates with Poseidon, insisting on doing her own makeup for the wedding – played in her mind, and she smiled wistfully, remembering how every date with Poseidon had been exciting, almost like an adventure. Being with him was like that – every day was a rollercoaster of emotions, with him somehow always making her a different, less serious, version of herself. Being with Mr. Chase was different – being with him was like coming home after a horrible day, and just knowing that once you get home, all your worries wouldn't matter anymore, because he'd make everything better. Just then, something in her had changed. Maybe it was that she finally accepted that Poseidon wasn't coming home; maybe it was that she finally allowed the tiny ember of hope she had been keeping alive in her heart for Poseidon's safe return to die out. She had walked over to her dressing table and brushed the dust off the chest, remembering how pretty it used to be before she had shoved it aside, blinded by her tears and misery, and let dust settle on its intricate carvings and the tiny crystals scattered around its edges. Opening it, she had taken the tiny tube of mascara she kept and applied a layer to her eyelashes. A layer of lip gloss and a light dusting of eye shadow later, Mrs. Jackson had finally deemed herself ready for the evening ahead.

Mrs. Jackson walked down the stairs into the living room, where Percy was watching a documentary on stingrays.

"Percy," she called. "I'm going now. I'll probably be home late, so don't wait up, okay?"

Percy turned, frowning. "Where are you going- oh," he said, his eyes widening. "You're going on your… thing."

Mrs. Jackson laughed. "You can say it, you know."

Percy shuddered. "No, I don't think I can. Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "Annabeth will be here soon for our study date. Is that okay with you? I forgot to tell you that she's coming over today."

Mrs. Jackson grinned. "So it is a date."

Percy's cheeks coloured. "Muummm!"

Pulling on her coat, Mrs. Jackson laughed. "See you later," she called, closing the door shut behind her.

* * *

Percy and Annabeth were in the middle of going through yet another stack of assignments when Annabeth mentioned their parents' date.

"Hey, did you know my dad went with your mum for dinner?" she asked, frowning.

Percy shrugged. "Please tell me that I'm not the only one who finds the very idea disgusting."

"You don't seem that upset about it," she observed.

"I have this theory that if I just ignore it, it'll go away."

Annabeth snorted. "That's the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard."

"Hey, it works," he grinned. "What about you? Did you freak out?"

"I guess I did, a little," she admitted. "I mean, my parents just got divorced – and besides, he's going for dinner with your _mum_!"

Percy shuddered. "There is that. Do you think they'll start dating?"

Annabeth's eyes widened. "I didn't think of that."

Percy stared. "This has got to be the first time you've ever said that sentence."

"You know what?" Annabeth decided, " Maybe your theory isn't so bad after all - ignoring sounds good."

* * *

"Sally!" called Mr. Chase. "Wasn't I supposed to pick you up?"

Mrs. Jackson turned from unlocking her car, looking confused. "I thought we were going to meet at the restaurant!"

Mr. Chase laughed. "We didn't really discuss it, did we?"

Mrs. Jackson smiled. "No, we didn't."

"Well," he suggested, "Why don't you ride with me? I can drop you off later – we are neighbors, after all."

"Sure," Mrs. Jackson smiled.

* * *

Mr. Chase parked his car in front of one of fanciest restaurants in town – the Enchanted Restaurant.

Mrs. Jackson frowned. "You know, when you said you'd make dinner reservations, I didn't think you were going to reserve a table in the Enchanted Restaurant…"

"Is that okay? We can cancel and eat somewhere else," Mr. Chase offered.

Mrs. Jackson smiled, shaking her head. "It's fine," she said reassuringly. "It's just- this was the place that Poseidon took me for our first year anniversary."

"Whoa," Mr. Chase said, shaking his head. "It's a small world, huh? In that case," he said seriously, "Are you sure you're fine eating here?"

Mrs. Jackson wrapped her arms around herself. _Was_ she sure? Making up her mind, she raised her eyes to meet Mr. Chase's. "I'm sure," she said firmly. "Poseidon's gone, and I have to stop believing he's ever going to come back. It's time to move on. Anyway," she smiled, "If I remember correctly, they have the best desserts in the city – it would be a shame to let them go uneaten."

* * *

"Hello, and welcome to the Enchanted Restaurant," greeted the waiter. "How many are in your company this evening?"

"It's just the two of us today," answered Mr. Chase, smiling. "I made a reservation a few days back under the name Chase."

"Please hold on a moment while I check your reservation," the waiter said, busily flipping through papers on his clipboard. "Ah, here it is. A table for two in the underwater section, correct?"

"Yes," Mr. Chase nodded, turning to Mrs. Jackson as he smiled, "I know you love the ocean, and I figured you'd like it."

The waiter nodded, gesturing to them to follow him. "Very well then. Right this way, please."

Even though she'd been to the Enchanted Restaurant once, walking into it still took Mrs. Jackson's breath away. It's main dining area was decorated to look like an enchanted forest; but instead of a few cheap plastic decorations scattered throughout the room, real trees sprouted magnificently from huge flower pots, giving the restaurant a relaxed, comfortable feel. Soft lights, arranged so that they danced across the floor, shone in shades of green and soft yellow. Speakers hidden around the room played the soft rustling of trees and the sounds of the animals coming alive at night.

The Enchanted Restaurant was divided into three other sections, where customers could ask to be seated to their liking. The first section – where the waiter was now leading them – was decorated to look like an enchanted underwater palace. Huge glass tanks stretching from the ceiling down to the floor lined the walls, where multicolored sea creatures of all shapes and sizes swam. Water plants in decorated bowls were scattered throughout the room, and lights hidden behind strands of dried seaweed shone. Huge pillars, studded with corals and starfish, rose magnificently to reach the ceiling, where more soft lights had been installed, taking turns to shine out shades of blue and green.

Mrs. Jackson froze. The last time she had been here – during her and Poseidon's anniversary – Poseidon, too, had asked to be seated in the underwater section. It was filled with memories of that night; did she really want new memories of this date with Frederick to tarnish and change her old memories of the room, made with Poseidon?

_Yes_, she decided. Poseidon's gone, and he's not coming back.

"Here we are," the waiter announced, leading them to a table near one of the huge glass tanks. "I hope you have a pleasant evening."

* * *

Dinner passed smoothly, and though Mrs. Jackson was unnaturally nervous at the beginning of the meal, by the time desert had arrived, she was having the most fun she could remember herself having since – well, forever.

"And then," Mr. Chase continued, "When I returned from sending Annabeth to school, the wretched thing had somehow knocked over its cage and freed itself, managed to knock over an entire bookshelf, as well as opening a window and flying away. That," he laughed, "Was the end of Annabeth having any pets – especially ones that can fly!"

Mrs. Jackson laughed. "Annabeth had a very lively childhood, didn't she?"

Mr. Chase nodded, chuckling. "I'm sure Percy had the same."

Mrs. Jackson smiled. "He did. Poseidon was a wonderful father."

"You can't give him all the credit," protested Mr. Chase. "I bet you were great. You still are," he added, looking almost embarrassed, his cheeks aflame.

She smiled. "You know, tonight has been the most fun I've had in awhile."

"We could do it again," suggested Mr. Chase. "Make it a weekly thing- you know, if you want to."

"That sounds great," smiled Mrs. Jackson. "You know, I'm surprised I haven't scared you off yet."

"Scared off by you?" Mr. Chase laughed. "Never."

Mrs. Jackson smiled, her heart warmer than it had been in a long time.

* * *

**Announcements: **

**1) When this fanfic was first posted, I took the time to thank each and every one of my reviewers. Sadly, due to the lack of time I have now and the whole school situation, I can't do that anymore. ): So, all reviewers will be thanked in general at the beginning of every chapter. But that doesn't mean I appreciate you less, so no thinking that, anyone! (: **

**2) Unfortunately, we didn't quite manage to reach 50 reviewers, but I tried to make this chapter a little longer anyway. (:**

**3) Also, I'm sorry for the lack of Percabeth in this chapter, but Mr. Chase/Mrs. Jackson needed this chapter to let their budding attraction grow, and well, Percy and Annabeth are already really attracted to each other, so.. :p**

**4) Can you guess the animal mentioned by Mr. Chase to Mrs. Jackson? Remember, it was chosen by Annabeth as a child! :D **

**5) The sixtieth reviewer gets to request a one-shot of their choice to be written! (: The only conditions are that it has to be about PJO, and please, no one-shots about Nico and Annabeth. :p **


End file.
